Improved holdback



D. A. GORHAM. Holdback.

No. 88,159. Patented March 23,1869.

i I finder @atent 'D. A. GORHAM, OF NORWAY, MAINE; Letters Patent No. 88,159, dated March 23, 1869.

IMPROVED HOLDBACK.

The Schedule referred to in these Letters Patent: and making pan of the same.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, D. A. GORHAM, of Norway, in the county of Oxford, and State of Maine, have invented a new and improved Breeching-Hook for Harness; and I do hereby declare-that the following is a full and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to make and use myinvention, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part ofthis specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in breeching-hooks for harness, the principal object of which is to facilitate the detachment of the horse from the shafts in case of accidents, or when unharnessing.

Figure 1 is a portion of a vehicle-shaft, with my invention applied thereto.

Figure 2 represents detached sections of my invention.

The present invention consists of two principal parts,

' the cup A, and the hook B. The said parts are made of malleable iron, or other metallic material.

The cup A is of curvilinear form, andencloses the hook B upon three of its sides. It is open in the rear at a, in order to allow free play to the breeching.

In the front of the said cup A,an opening, a, is cut, to prevent the same from becoming clogged with ice, snow, or dirt, and to facilitate the removal of obstruction of any kind.

In .the rear of the base of the said cup A is the projection a, the rear'side of which is of curvilinear form, and the front so fashioned as to fit a notch, I), cut for its reception in the hook B. The object of this projection is to enhance the facility with which the breeching disengages itself from the shaft, in case of accident, or when unharnessing.

In the centre of the said cup 0 is cut a circular hole, to receive the hook, in the manner hereinafter described.

The cup answers the double purpose of holding the strap of the hook, and also of throwing the same ofi when the horse passes forward between the The. said hook B is elliptically curved, although it may be of any form answering the conditions and requirements of my invention.

The said hook B is combined to the cup A, and secured to theshaft by passing it through the said hole a, into the slot prepared for its reception in the shaft D. It may be screwed, or fastened in any other desirable manner, to the said shaft. The hook being thus secured, binds the cup firmly to the shaft.

In practically making use of myinvention, the breeching will immediately detach itself from the shaft of the vehicle to which it is applied, when the horse moves forward between the same, and slip easily over the projection a and the hook B.' 1

In unharnessing, if one of the breeching-straps is forgotten and left, the other disengages itself, thus preventing the harness from being injured.

In case of accidental break in the harness, also, the great value of this self-disengaging portion of the hooks is seen. Thus we have a self-releasing breeching-hook, formed without spring or rivet, which will accomplish all the ordinary purposes of its use, and which disengages itself, in case of necessity, by the simple forward movement of the horse within the shaft. I am aware that many devices have been invented and patented, for the purpose herein described, but they have been so complicated and expensive in their manufacture as to preclude their general adoption;

and, moreover, they were apt to clog and become cor- 

